A Leo by Any Other Name
by Flynne
Summary: 2k3 'verse. Ficlet from the Ninja Tribunal arc. There's something Leo never told his family about his time spent training with the Ancient One in Japan...but that secret is about to come out.
_Teensy missing scene from the Ninja Tribunal story arc, because we did not see this happen and I felt cheated._ :D _Set between "Past and Present" and "Enter the Dragons."_

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A Leo by Any Other Name

"I don't like it, Leo," Raph growled, shifting forward to sit on the edge of the couch. Despite the weary tremors that occasionally coursed through him, he still managed to sound forceful.

"I didn't say _I_ liked it either," Leo replied from his exhausted sprawl in one of April's large, soft armchairs. "But what choice do we have?"

"What if we tried to use the keystones again?" Don asked. He hugged a throw pillow against his stomach with one arm, reaching out with the other to gently tug on Raph's belt, coaxing him back a bit so it didn't look as if he were ready to launch himself off the couch...or, more likely, tumble onto the floor.

"Won't work," the Ancient One said irritably. "The Shredder's power has already surrounded them. Even if we _could_ tap the keystones again, it would only serve to strengthen the enemy."

Seated on the floor with his shell propped against April's legs, Mikey let out a huff. "Okay, I vote 'no' to the keystones, then."

April leaned forward a bit in her chair to pat Mikey's shoulder. "It's not the most appealing idea," she confessed, "but we need help." She didn't say it out loud, but the turtles looked just about done in. Although they hadn't sustained any physical wounds in their failed attempt to harness the power of the keystones, it had taxed them in a way that none of them had been able to explain. The Ancient One had mumbled something about spiritual energy, ordered them to sit, and made them drink a sharp-smelling tea.

"So we get the Justice Force to join in," Raph said. He lowered his voice and jerked his thumb toward April's bedroom where Chaplin was helping the still-recovering Karai with her armor. "We've already gotta watch our backs with little miss Shredder Junior in there just waiting for a chance to get Leo's head on a pike. We don't need to ask for more trouble."

"It won't be enough," Leo said. "Like it or not, the EPF and the Purple Dragons are forces to be reckoned with. They hate us - "

"Want us dead," Raph said sharply.

"Or in a lab," Don added.

"Or dead _and_ in a lab," Mikey put in.

" - but we'll have to hope that their sense of self-preservation outweighs their...less-than-friendly attitudes," Leo finished, unruffled by his brothers' interruptions. There was a long pause. April looked to Splinter for guidance, but the old rat was gazing at the floor, looking smaller and grayer than he had in months. Casey shifted his feet uneasily where he stood keeping watch at the window. The sinister red sky hung low over the city, and his typically carefree gaze was clouded with worry when he met her eyes.

It was the Ancient One who finally broke the silence "Kumquat is right!" he said. "We do not have a choice in this matter, but neither do they. They must help you or perish!"

There was a long, startled pause - the brothers all staring wide-eyed at the Ancient One - until their attention turned to Leo, and Mikey asked in a choked little voice, "Leo, did...did he just call you 'Kumquat'?"

Leo cringed. "Um…" That did it. His brothers broke into gales of laughter. The sound was like sunshine, banishing the overhanging gloom as if it had never been there. Leo ducked his head sheepishly, but he was laughing, too; even Splinter was smiling, and the sight eased the tangle of worry that had knotted itself inside April's chest. Just when the laughter was beginning to die down, Don looked at Leo and squeaked out, "Kumquat!", which set them all off again. Raph slumped against Don's side, actually wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.

"Okay," Mikey said at last, pushing himself up from his laughter-induced flop on the floor. He took a steadying breath and leaned back against April's legs again. "Okay. So...we'll ask 'em. 'Enemy of my enemy', right?"

Raph sighed. "Guess so." He still sounded reluctant, but the moment of release had broken the tension, and his expression was more peaceful as he looked back to Leo. "So what's the plan, Fearless?"

April broke in before Leo could answer. "I have a plan. I propose that you guys have something to eat, sleep on it, and figure things out in the morning. You won't be doing anybody any favors if you run yourselves into the ground. And to be blunt..." she shrugged, giving them a rueful little smile. "...any plan that will fail because you took a few hours to rest probably wouldn't have worked in the first place."

"April is right, my sons," Splinter put in. "Today was a difficult day for all of you. We will discuss strategies after you have rested."

Leo sighed and nodded, giving April a grateful look. "Sounds like a good idea."

"It was _my_ idea," she replied archly. "Of course it was a good one." She eased her legs out from behind Mikey's shell and carefully stepped over him on her way to the kitchen. "Come on, Jones," she called over her shoulder. "I'm drafting you to help me."

"Sure thing."

April opened her fridge and peered inside with a thoughtful little frown. Several days holed up with the turtles - not to mention Karai and Chaplin - had sorely depleted her food supply, and going out to get more was easier said than done. Her mouth twitched in amusement, though, and she couldn't stop herself from saying, "Well, I don't have much, but I've still got some fruit left. Leo, does that sound good to you?"

She never heard whether he said yes or no, but the fresh burst of laughter from the living room was all the answer she needed.


End file.
